1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the servicing of a computer terminal, more particularly to a method and apparatus for enabling communication between a computer terminal and a servicing station in a remote controlled system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer users usually experience problems when installing new software with which they are unfamiliar. In some instances, the assistance of technical personnel is needed to complete the installation procedure. However, when computer users discuss their installation problems with technical personnel over the telephone, some difficulty is encountered because the technical personnel are unable to see the messages shown on the monitor or to operate the mouse or keyboard of the computer terminal. Thus, the technical personnel can only guess what the actual problem of the computer user is, and can only offer possible remedies to the problem. If the problem persists, the computer user has to send the computer terminal to the technical personnel for servicing. This results in significant inconvenience and unnecessary expense to the computer user, especially because most installation problems can be easily overcome by adjusting computer software and/or BIOS settings, or by upgrading the BIOS.
Software solutions for enabling remote control between computer terminals have been proposed heretofore to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks. An example of such computer software is pcAnywhere by Symantec Corp., which is a U.S.-based company. When the computer terminal of the user (hereinafter referred to as the user terminal) is installed with this software, the computer terminal of the technical personnel (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9c_servicing terminal_xe2x80x9d) installed with the same software can receive output signals from the user terminal via the public switched telephone network or the Internet, thereby enabling the technical personnel to monitor the operating state of the user terminal and to provide accurate advice for remedying the problem of the user. The user terminal can also receive input signals from the servicing terminal, thereby enabling the technical personnel to operate the user terminal and remedy the problem of the user.
It is noted that the software solution as described above requires both the user and servicing terminals to be compatible with each other and to be installed with the same software. In addition, the software solution is not possible in the event that the operating system of the user terminal is not working properly, such as when there are errors in the BIOS settings.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a hardware solution for enabling real-time remote control between a computer terminal and a servicing station in a remote controlled system, wherein video signals from the computer terminal can be received by the servicing station, and input signals from the servicing station can be received by the computer terminal such that operation of the computer terminal can be controlled via the servicing station.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method for enabling communication between a computer terminal and a servicing station in a remote controlled system comprises:
establishing a communications link between the computer terminal and the servicing station;
capturing video signals of the computer terminal;
transmitting the video signals to the servicing station via the communications link so that images shown on the computer terminal can be shown by a display monitor of the servicing station; and
transmitting input signals received from and generated by an input device of the servicing station to the computer terminal via the communications link so as to enable remote control of the computer terminal via the servicing station.
According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for enabling communication between a computer terminal and a servicing station in a remote controlled system comprises:
a first control device adapted to be connected to the computer terminal, the first control device including means for capturing video signals of the computer terminal, means for transmitting the video signals, and means for receiving input signals and for providing the input signals to the computer terminal; and
a second control device adapted to be connected to the servicing station and capable of establishing a communications link with the first control device, the second control device including means for receiving the video signals transmitted by the first control device and for providing the video signals to the servicing station so that images shown on the computer terminal can be shown by the servicing station, and means for receiving the input signals from the servicing station and for transmitting the input signals to the first control device so as to enable remote control of the computer terminal via the servicing station.
According to still another aspect of the invention, an apparatus enables communication between a computer terminal and a servicing station in a remote controlled system. The computer terminal includes a main unit, a first display monitor that forms a video signal path with the main unit, and a first input device that forms an input signal path with the main unit. The servicing station includes a second display monitor and a second input device operable so as to generate input signals. The apparatus comprises:
a first control device including: a first image processing unit adapted to be connected to the video signal path for capturing video signals provided by the main unit to the first display monitor; a first signal processing unit adapted to be connected to the input signal path for providing the input signals to the main unit, and a first signal transmission unit coupled to the first image processing unit and the first signal processing unit, the first signal transmission unit being capable of transmitting the video signals from the first image processing unit, and of providing the input signals to the first signal processing unit; and
a second control device including: a second signal transmission unit capable of establishing a communications link with the first signal transmission unit, the second signal transmission unit receiving the video signals transmitted by the first signal transmission unit, and providing the input signals to the first signal transmission unit; a second image processing unit adapted to be connected to the second display monitor and coupled to the second signal transmission unit, the second image processing unit receiving the video signals from the second signal transmission unit and providing the video signals to the second display monitor so that images shown on the first display monitor can be shown by the second display monitor, and a second signal processing unit adapted to be connected to the second input device and coupled to the second signal transmission unit, the second signal processing unit receiving the input signals generated by the second input device, and providing the input signals to the second signal transmission unit for transmission to the first signal transmission unit so as to enable remote control of the computer terminal via the servicing station.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a remote controlled system comprises:
a computer terminal;
a first control device connected to the computer terminal, the first control device including means for capturing video signals of the computer terminal, means for transmitting the video signals, and means for receiving input signals and for providing the input signals to the computer terminal;
a servicing station; and
a second control device connected to the servicing station and capable of establishing a communications link with the first control device, the second control device including means for receiving the video signals transmitted by the first control device and for providing the video signals to the servicing station so that images shown on the computer terminal can be shown by the servicing station, and means for receiving the input signals from the servicing station and for transmitting the input signals to the first control device so as to enable remote control of the computer terminal via the servicing station.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a remote controlled system comprises:
a computer terminal including a main unit, a first display monitor that forms a video signal path with the main unit, and a first input device that forms an input signal path with the main unit;
a first control device including: a first image processing unit connected to the video signal path for capturing video signals provided by the main unit to the first display monitor; a first signal processing unit connected to the input signal path for providing input signals to the main unit; and a first signal transmission unit coupled to the first image processing unit and the first signal processing unit, the first signal transmission unit being capable of transmitting the video signals from the first image processing unit, and of providing the input signals to the first signal processing unit;
a servicing station including a second display monitor and a second input device operable so as to generate the input signals; and
a second control device including: a second signal transmission unit capable of establishing a communications link with the first signal transmission unit, the second signal transmission unit receiving the video signals transmitted by the first signal transmission unit, and providing the input signals to the first signal transmission unit; a second image processing unit connected to the second display monitor and coupled to the second signal transmission unit, the second image processing unit receiving the video signals from the second signal transmission unit and providing the video signals to the second display monitor so that images shown on the first display monitor can be shown by the second display monitor; and a second signal processing unit connected to the second input device and coupled to the second signal transmission unit, the second signal processing unit receiving the input signals generated by the second input device, and providing the input signals to the second signal transmission unit for transmission to the first signal transmission unit so as to enable remote control of the computer terminal via the servicing station.